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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. root — of a word
  3. lean — thin
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wax — to grow
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. root — the cause
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rush — hurry
  23. root — of a plant
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com